Yera Solen; The Shadow
"It's true what they say about the beggars, you know. They see everything that goes on in a city. They know all of the rumors and all of the secrets. If you need to know something, go to the homeless first. Offer them enough coin to feed them for a day and you'll be a hero in their eyes. They'll tell you anything you want to know. Yet, while they learn all of these things, they themselves are never seen, never caught. I have always believed it is they are, not I, far more deserving of the title 'Shadow.'" ---- |Name| Yera Solen (Yair-uh So-Len) |Alias'| Shadow; The Night Wind |Race| Human |Gender| Female |Age| 22 |Class| Nightblade ---- |History| Life on the streets is never easy, nor kind. There are many things in Yera's life that she wishes had never happened to her and many things she will never speak of to anyone. The worst things in the world second to death have happened to her and yet she still pushes on and still tries to look to the future, the next mark. Yera does not know her parents, for as long as she has known, she has lived on the streets with only her own wit and ingenuity to keep herself alive. Maybe she had someone looking out for her when she was an infant, but she doesn't recall anyone. Maybe she was just lucky to have survived for that long, she has certainly been lucky her entire life up to the present day, she reasons. Things just seem to work out for her, in regards to survival. As a matter of fact, she didn't even know the name given to her by her parents and simply made one up for herself. There is only one word that can describe how Yera lived as a girl. That word is lonely. She had no one, not even a friend to keep her company. All that she knew was that she could only count on herself and her own quick thinking to keep herself out of trouble. However, sometimes the girl thought that there was someone keeping watch on her. Whenever she got hurt, she'd manage to find some abandoned medical supplies. Whenever she had gone a day or two without food, she'd find an abandoned stall which she could steal from or a freshly thrown out meal. As she grew older, she became to think that is was pure luck that kept her alive, rather than an unseen guardian angel looking out for her. As she grew up, Yera learned the skills that she would later turn into a profession. Living on the streets is not a friendly place. No one is your ally and you need to learn how to take care of yourself and your own so that no one else can take what you have because they're stronger, faster, or smarter than you are. Yera learned how to steal the hard way. She didn't have anyone to practice on, she didn't have an instructor, just her own wit and guile to keep herself from getting caught. Of course, she did get caught many times, which is where she learned how to be fast and agile, allowing her to slip into a crowd and escape before anyone else was the wiser. Yera took her first job from a client at the age of sixteen, or at least what she assumed was her sixteenth birthday, never really knowing how old she exactly was. The job itself was rather easy for the up and coming thief. The swiftness of the job impressed the buyer and he vowed to hire her again should there be another item he wished to collect through illegitimate means. This was the time that the young girl, now almost a woman, learned that all she wanted to do was take from the rich so the poor could live more comfortably. Keeping a portion of her earnings for herself, Yera spread the majority of it out to the beggars, the homeless, and the vagrants. She took her own portion and set up in a small home on the outskirts of the town. This would not be her home forever, though. Ever since Yera had the coin from her nightly expeditions to do so, she was on the move. She never settled down in one place for too long, as an excessive amount of thefts among the rich in one location would quickly become noticed. That and there aren't that many excessively wealthy people in every city or town. There are a limited amount of homes she can break into before her activities begin to be noticed. Due to this nomadic lifestyle, Yera has never found a partner in both trade and in the home. She tries to stay out of the public as much as possible. The only people she meets are potential buyers for her newly acquired items. Upon moving out, Yera decided to see if she had any arcane talent, as she had enough coin to afford an instructor. It was a no lose situation, in her opinion. If she was capable of learning magic, it would greatly assist her in her trade. If she wasn't, then she'd still learn how magic users work their craft, knowing how to better get around protective enchantments and the like. After attempting a few cantrips at her instructors behest, she learned that she was, indeed, capable of performing magic. She was overjoyed. However, ignoring the regimen set down by the instructor, she simply focused her studies on the school of Illusion, every tiny step making her a far more effective thief than she ever could have been otherwise. It was after she had finished mastering her talent over some of the more basic illusions, that none-the-less are incredibly effective for her means, Yera informed her instructor that his services were no longer required and paid him accordingly. It was then that the woman became the Shadow everyone began to know her as. |Personality| Yera is a very driven individual. The reason why Yera does what she does is because she knows what life is like on the streets. She never wants to return to that way of living and if she can help those who were stuck there for as long as she was, she'll do it. However, Yera remembers the hundreds upon hundreds of times the richer and more 'enlightened' members of society looked her over, along with everyone else, and never even spared her a second glance, let alone a single coin to feed herself with for the night. Over those many years, she grew angry and frustrated with the upper class citizens and when she had the means to, she struck back by taking what they deemed precious and returning it to the people in the form of coins, food, or clothing. She would, of course, take a profit for herself, as she still needs to be able to survive, or else no one else will truly do anything to help those in need. Aside to all of this, those who speak to the Night Wind often find her to be quite polite and rather opinionated whenever they can get a response out of her. |'Weapons|' While Yera dislikes fighting and would prefer to avoid getting into one if at all possible, she still carries two simple steel daggers with her. It is far better to have one, and not need it, than to need it, and not have one, she reasons. While initially for defensive purposes, Yera also carries the daggers with her because they can be useful tools while she's going about her job of redistributing the property of other people. However, when it comes to actual combat Yera prefers to do things at a distance with a simple short-bow. She always carries her trusted ranged instrument along with a small quiver that holds only a dozen arrows as she can't carry too much weight or she wouldn't be able to dodge effectively. When using her bow to fight she aims to injure rather than kill. A precise shot to the leg is more than enough to deter any would-be pursuers. She only kills as a last resort, but should it come to that she does it quick and efficiently; taking any advantage she can to turn the battle in her favor and end it with a single blow. |Description| While most expect the Shadow to be a tall, handsome man, it is truly the polar opposite. Yera stands at just under five feet and while she can be considered attractive, she is far from being considered elegant or beautiful. Yera likes it this way, as it's true that people remember a pretty face. She has a slightly round face with a thin nose and lips. Her eyes are soft shade of green and her body has enough curves to catch a man's eye; but she keeps herself thoroughly hidden underneath her clothing, that way no one really gets a good look at her figure. Her hair is cut short, the longest locks just barely touching her chin. She could almost be considered tomboyish in appearance, but it is truly just a preference that makes it easier on her profession: long hair would just constantly get in the way. While on the job, Yera wears the almost incredibly cliched black cloak and leather armor. This is, of course, to make it harder to be seen at night, as she'll blend in perfectly with the shadows and the darkened corners of the city. However, while not working, the young woman dresses casually in simple male clothing, both to dissuade any potential suitors and because, honestly, they're quite comfortable after wearing tight, protective leather all night. |Abilities| Agile Yera is an incredibly athletic young woman, capable of performing feats no average human could do. While unable to perform inhuman feats, such as dodging bullets or catching arrows at the drop of a hat, Yera does have very swift reflexes and can avoid getting hit by just about anything that isn't magically or mechanically enhanced. of Hand A thief by trade, Yera is very quick with her fingers and hands. A master of deception, the woman is capable of doing anything she wants with her hands, be that performing a simple trick to lifting an object off of a person without them even knowing of it. |Magic| Invisibility With a few words, Yera can shift out of the visible spectrum and move unseen. However, this is not without it's own limits. Should Yera come into contact with any object that is physically capable of being moved or displaced by her (Meaning floors and walls do not count), such as a door or a person, the spell is immediately broken and she is able to be seen. While still a useful spell, Yera is by no means completely undetectable. She can still be heard (although it is unlikely that she will be), and she is still physically there, meaning she can be still hit if she is unlucky enough to be in the way. Walk Just like her spell of invisibility, Yera simply has to say a few arcane words to magically enhance her body, allowing her to cling to surfaces just like a spider. This ability is restricted to her hands and feet, meaning she cannot hang from her back and use her limbs. She can climb any surface, even ceilings so long as it is not protected by magical means preventing such ascension. However, she is bound by her physical limits and can grow quite tired from prolonged climbing. Sound With a gesture, Yera can create a simple sound originating at a location of her own choosing, so long as it's within her line of sight and it's not an incredibly long distance away (about thirty yards at most). The sound cannot be anything complex, such as a word or a message, but it can range from a rock falling to the ground or being displaced to a bell chiming. Blur Displacing the area around her body, Yera can make the illusion that she's moving faster than she actually is. Effective at allowing her to avoid missile attacks, such as an arrow, it truly isn't effective at close range, where a sword can still cut right into her. Image Possibly Yera's most advanced and delicate of spells, she can create multiple copies of her physical self and have them go about and act as if they were actually herself. This spell is mainly a last ditch effort to confuse any would-be pursuers as it takes immense concentration for her to maintain the illusion with any sense of realism; meaning that the images do not behave in such a manner that it makes it clear they are not real. In addition to this Yera can only maintain control over a few clones at any given time. Too many requires too much concentration for her to handle effectively. At best she can manage two total clones, but she does best when only having to work with one.